Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 10d ago
if you're hiring a GTM engineer, this is the only resume that really matters.
551 commits. 140 branches. one GTM repo running in production.
this repo runs our entire go-to-market.
the website, deployed on Vercel.
cold email through EmailBison, with suppression and routing in code.
PostHog and RB2B for tracking who shows up and what they do.
Supabase holding the data.
campaigns, automations, bots, and benchmarks, all versioned.
every PR gets reviewed by CodeRabbit, then a real person, before it merges.
when something breaks, we know exactly what changed, who changed it, and why.
that's GTM engineering in production. it's also forward deployed engineering.
and the best part of this repo isn't the code. it's Jacob Mohan, our GTM engineer.
he picked up GitHub, Vercel, and Supabase like it was nothing, and now he's the one validating everything before it ships.
truly a gem. if you're wondering what the next wave of GTM engineers looks like, it's him.
if your GTM can't be rolled back, it isn't a system yet.
remember guys, keep private repos private and keep your APIs in a vault. 😉
🏴☠️
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️
Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 3w ago
If you want a high-profile GTM engineer or forward deployed engineer role, this is the only résumé that matters.
2,833 contributions in the last year.
gtm-coding-agent at 152 stars and 41 forks. Open repos on agent memory, context handoff, and building websites with real personality.
Nobody has to take my word for any of it. Every commit is public. You can read the code, fork it, and run it.
A PDF tells a hiring manager what you say you can do. A GitHub shows what you shipped, when you shipped it, and how you think.
Notice where the graph starts, too.
Before February it's almost empty. Most of this happened in eight months. You don't need years. You need to start.
If you're going for these roles, put your work in public. Ship something every week. Let the green squares do the talking.
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️ , GTM engineer and co-founder of Clearbox.
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️
Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 2w ago
A GTM Engineer is a systems architect. Not a vendor specialist.
Hot take I guess? You don't need to learn Clay to become a GTM Engineer in 2026.
And I say that as someone who learned Clay, worked at a top Clay agency, and built systems for clients using it.
Clay coined the GTM Engineer title. Credit where it's due.
But somewhere along the way, we've started confusing proficiency in a platform with proficiency in a profession.
They're not the same thing.
Your job is to build systems that produce outcomes for your business, clients, or team.
More pipeline. Better data. Faster execution. Revenue.
If Clay is the best tool to deliver those outcomes, use Clay.
But if connecting a few APIs, writing some code, and owning your orchestration layer gets you there faster, cheaper, and with less technical debt, why wouldn't you?
I've seen this firsthand working with clients, including those already heavily invested in Clay.
Sometimes the platform is the right choice. Sometimes you're paying for an additional layer of abstraction that you don't actually need.
And that distinction matters.
Especially when you're the person responsible for justifying the spend.
Now, I know Clay just wrapped up Sculpt. There's a lot of excitement around the new products, agents, and workflows.
I'm testing them too.
In fact, I recently had a client ready to cancel their Clay subscription.
I told them to hold off.
Let me test the new CLI and see what we can actually do.
That's where I am right…
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️
Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 2w ago
So this week’s Level Up GTM edition is about 10 GitHub repos I think every forward-deployed GTM engineer should know. Supabase and Convex to Playwright, PostHog, and Vercel
If you’re trying to move from just using tools to actually building with them, this one’s for you.
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️
Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 3w ago
go-to-market engineers can do anything.
API? we build it. AI build? we got this. website for dad’s plumbing shop? Say less.
February build. Had to turn it off once because he got too busy. Flipped it back on.
28 days: 17,500 impressions, 312 clicks. $0 ads.
then the real GTM move: site in a repo, PostHog on it, iterate the winners, version-control the rest.
copy that’s printing impressions becomes messaging, then ad spend.
pipeline starts at the homepage.
Follow Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️, GTM engineer and co-founder of Clearbox. SEO god on the weekends. 😜
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️
Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 2w ago
Apollo handed a ’90s kid a Game Boy and told him his GTM strategy peaked in 1995. They really couldn’t have picked a better person for this campaign.
I grew up on Windows 95, Pokémon Red, and the firm belief that Charmander was the ONLY correct starter.
Fast-forward to 2026.I’m now a full-blown Apple fanboy who will never willingly touch Windows again.I still love finding cheat codes.
Except now, I build them for go-to-market. Apollo.io’s API is a must have in any stack.
Buillding custom GTM systems, connecting APIs, or running coding agents, Apollo is a recurring part of my client infrastructure.
And that’s my number one rule for brand partnerships.I have to actually use the product. Apollo is something I use practically every day, so this partnership was a no-brainer.
After attending ApolloNEXT in San Francisco, I’m even more excited about what’s coming.
Builder Studio, Messaging OS, and the Intelligence Layer. Apollo.io isn’t just a contact database.
They’re building toward an entire GTM system where data, intelligence, and execution connect.And as someone who builds this stuff for a living, I’m here for it.
Anyway, it’s 2026, I’m still picking Charmander, and apparently I’m still holding a Game Boy.Some things never change.🔥
P.S. If you picked Bulbasaur or Squirtle, I respect your decision. I’ve also made peace with the fact that not everyone is meant to be a leader. 😜
#ApolloPartner #ApolloNEXT #GTMEngineering
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️
Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 4w ago
I will never sell you a course on GTM engineering.
Everything in this trade can be self-learned now.
I learned how to build websites running on Next.js + Vercel and build version controlled-coded GTM systems by asking these tools questions.
Nobody handed me a curriculum.
So I put it all out there. How I build, what works, what broke. Free.
The DMs come in on every platform.
TikTok, Reddit, X, LinkedIn.
Someone wants to be an SDR. Someone wants a GTM engineer roadmap. I answer them.
Here's what I usually tell people:
Be active on LinkedIn. If a company is hiring for a role you'd be good at, find the right people there and reach out.
NEVER apply blind. Cold email + linkedin dm works and cold call works even better.
Share your wins and your losses. Keep networking.
And if you want to build, and dont know where to start....start with my repo, gtm-coding-agent.
It's free and sitting at 149 stars. It has self-guided chapters for you and for your coding agent, so you learn while you're actually running it.
Your agent helps you set it up, then walks you through building your own repository for GTM: content, sales, marketing, and product.
Run it. Fork it. Make it yours.
I can share the playbook. I can't run it for you. That part's on you.
It's the weekend. Go build some shit.
REPO LINK PINNED IN COMMENTS
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️ GTM engineer & co-founder Clearbox your reddit opportunity Inbox
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️
Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 3d ago
GTM engineer means five different jobs depending on who's hiring.
so now there's a job board inside r/GTMBuilders that tells you which one.
built with Devvit, Reddit's app platform. it refreshes every Monday.
this week: 38 roles at 26 companies. Vercel, Anthropic, Ramp, Clay, Stripe and more.
it skips the title and reads what the role actually wants.
every role gets scored on coding, customer-facing, GTM, AI and data. then it lands in one of five archetypes:
- Forward Deployed Engineer
- AI GTM Builder
- Applied AI / Solutions Engineer
- GTM Systems Engineer
- Growth / Marketing Engineer
each one shows what to build to qualify, and who to reach out to directly.
if you're a GTM engineer on Reddit, you're already curious. this is how you level up.
video below. 🏴☠️
Shawn Tenam 🏴☠️
Clearbox + Lead Alchemy | GTM as code | Forward-Deployed GTM Engineer & Founder · 1d ago
GTM engineer week in review 🏴☠️
Claude on architecture and the repo.
Grok Bot on Slack, content and anything that needs a login 15 times.
mailboxes, aged domains, socials, SEO and a content system for a client.
autonomous where it's safe. PRs where it matters.
oh and since we moved the site to Vercel, ChatGPT mentioned us twice. 🏴☠️
